Kitchen · cat safety
Can cats drink alcohol?
Severe
No — alcohol is dangerous for cats, who are especially sensitive to it: it can cause vomiting, wobbliness, breathing difficulty and tremors. Watch unattended glasses, plum cake, rum balls and hand sanitiser.
Why severe: Cats are especially sensitive to alcohol.
- Name
- Alcoholalso Sharaab, Daaru, Rum-soaked fruit cake, Hand sanitiser
- Hindi
- शराब · sharaab
What's in it
Ethanol.
Where it hides
- Unattended glasses at parties
- Christmas plum cake and rum balls
- Hand sanitiser
Symptoms to watch for
- Vomiting, diarrhoea
- Wobbliness
- Low mood
- Breathing difficulty
- Tremors
What to do — now
Go to a vet now. Cats are especially sensitive to alcohol.
- Don't make your cat vomit at home unless a vet tells you to.
- Say what it was (drink, cake, sanitiser) and roughly how much.
Where Indian cats meet it
Parties, Christmas plum cake and the hand-sanitiser bottle by the door.
Sources
Facts last checked
General information for cat parents, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. The facts come from ASPCA, Pet Poison Helpline, International Cat Care, the Merck Veterinary Manual and the other sources listed on every page — and we say so when the evidence comes from dogs or people. If your cat may have eaten something harmful, call your vet.